Historian and photographer study presence of Greeks in Australia

The multifaceted endeavors of Greek immigrants in Australia was the subject of a seminar titled "Enterprise and Diversity: Greek-Australian Occupational Pursuits, 1810s to Present" by historian Leonard Janiszewski and Greek-Australian documentary photographer Effy Alexakis, which took place earlier this year at the Greek Center for Contemporary Culture in Melbourne.

Janiszewski and Alexakis have been studying the Greek diaspora in Australia since 1982. "I grew up with the narrative that we would return to Greece some day," says Alexakis. "My father came to Australia in 1954 and a few years later, by arranged marriage, my mother arrived on one of the so-called bride ships."

When her father suddenly died in the 1980s, Alexakis realized that the homecoming would never happen. Reacting to her loss, she started taking photographs of members of the Greek community. At the...